Five Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV
You know what I’m talking about: those direct marketing ads that offer products you’ve never imagined (and probably don’t really need) for $19.95 (and if you call now, you’ll get two of ‘em). Every now and then, one of these catches my attention… in the sense that “Hey… that’s kind of green.”
Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not calling any of the products listed below “green” (nor am I endorsing them at all… from what I understand, caveat emptor always applies with these products). That would require some time-consuming due diligence to assess the products manufacturing process, materials, and lifecyle. But, in each case, the product’s selling proposition is based on conservation: use less of another product, make other products last longer, or use less energy, water, etc. These products do show that conservation sells… even if it’s not called that.
Without further ado…
The ShamWow: “Holds 21 times its weight in liquid!” I haven’t tested that (or the product itself, for that matter), but the ShamWow could also nearly eliminate paper towel use if it works as well as the marketing claims. The greenest option for eliminating paper towels may be the rag bag, but, c’mon, this is pretty cool (but, yes, that spokesman guy is scary as hell!). Questions still to be answered in assessing “greeness”: material (a “rayon type of material” according to the website), manufacturing processes, end of life. The reviews are definitely mixed.Save a Blade: “Save Hundreds on Razor Blades!” OK, that make take some time (though disposable blades aren’t cheap). But sharpening disposable blades to get up to 200 shaves… that makes financial sense, and also cuts back on blades in the trash. Given the ugly environmental impact of razor production, that’s a good thing. Questions still to be answered in assessing “greeness”: materials, manufacturing processes, energy use, origin of the product (I’m guessing “Made in China”), and end of life. Also gets mixed reviews. Treehugger took a look at a similar product, the Razor Saver.
- » See also: New Report Finds Kindle Greener than Physical Books… Really?
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The Snuggie: Who needs a sweater when you’ve got a blanket with sleeves? Better yet, who needs to turn up the heat…? Questions still to answered in assessing “greeness”: materials (”uper soft, thick, luxurious fleece” doesn’t tell us much), manufacturing process, place of origin, and end of life. JennyReviews took a test drive.
Accu-Pressure Safety Caps: This may be one of the best of the bunch (in concept, anyway) — caps for you tire valves that show when the tires are underinflated. Questions still to be answered in assessing “greeness”: materials (probably nearly all plastic), manufacturing process, place of origin, and end of life. Consumer Reports tried them out.
The Twin Draft Guard: “The Patented Double Sided Energy Saving Miracle.” Yeah, “miracle” is a big promise, but this seems like another one that could be really useful for keeping doors and windows from leading hot or cold air. Questions still to be answered in assessing “greeness”: materials, manufacturing processes, place of origin, and end of life. Energy Boomer reviewed it.
No, the Pocket Fisherman (showing my age there!), Hercules Hook, and Stick-up Bulbs didn’t make the cut… but let me know what I’ve missed. And if anyone can explain how the Neosocket could possibly help people save gas, I’m all ears.
Am I having a little fun here? You betcha! I will give it to the direct marketing folks, though: they know how to seize on opportunities, and consumers are clearly looking for ways to save money by reducing waste. That’s something I can get behind in concept… of course, if these products are crap, that does no one any good. Looking forward to hearing what you know… fire away!
Note: none of the links above are affiliate links… not selling anything here!
Update: It turns out there are a few more products that fit the bill here, so, if you’re interested, check out “Five More Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV.”
Image credit: BuyShamWowNow.com
You should google “snuggie scam”. You really, really, really should. People who read your article will mistakenly think its a good idea to buy a snuggie. It is not. CAVEAT EMPTOR.
If you watch the Sham Wow commercial closely when he pours the soda on the piece of carpet, picks it up and then sets it down there is liquid coming out the front. When he starts to put the Sham on it there is no liquid in front. Bad cut and paste with no attention to detail. SHAM, SHAM, SHAM!
Snuggle up with some static electricity. Be careful using your laptop and removable storage devices with this lightning generator.
I see that commercial and Vince makes me watch it. He cracks me up, big city east coast boy. I think he’s worth watching and the product is great.
[...] symbols of conspicuous consumption. The sales pitch feels cheesy. And, yet, as I mentioned in Five Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV, a small handful of them appeal to values we promote here at sustainablog: conservation, re-use, [...]
the shamwow is pretty cool. Though I can’t vouch for the commercial greatness….I don’t use it to sop up perfectly clean bowls in my kitchen that happen to be full of clean water, for example.
Nor do I wear an earpiece/microphone in my kitchen.
But the shamwow does work good for cleaning glass windows.
Though I have found a good old “micro fiber” cloth will work a LOT better, it’s got those “micro fibers” that do a little bit of “scrubbing” leaving you to not have to scrub as hard/much
And well, after a couple washes, my sham wows seem to be “pilling” - I only rinse them out, wash them maybe once every clean up - perhaps it’s the warm water that does it? I don’t use fabric softener….and didn’t throw them in the dryer either…
[...] McIntire-Strasburg occasionally writes posts on new, innovative green products (see Five Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV and Five More Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV). Rather than try to steal his thunder, [...]
[...] products that can green your home (see “5 Products to Green in Your Everyday Life”, “Five Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV” and “Five More Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV”), ways to cut home energy [...]
I always knew those late night TV guys were really just out to save the planet